Dividing chores between spouses feels like a roommate issue. And it is. So don’t let it become a source of major conflict or bitterness. In this episode, Susan shares how early on in their marriage, she and her husband, Mark, decided he would handle things outside the walls of their home, and she would handle the things inside. It’s not a perfect science, but it came in handy when they got flooded and had to do a rebuild. He managed insurance, and she worked on the interior fixes.
So how do you and your husband divvy up all the things that need to get done from vacuuming to yard maintenance to grocery shopping? A 2019 Pew Research Center study asked married men and women about the division of labor in their homes, and 32% of the women said the responsibilities are shared about equally while 42% of men said that. The discrepancy raises the question: Do men know everything women do? Are all the things that need to be done for the children considered “household responsibilities?”
If you’re feeling like things at home are unequal, and you both work outside the home, encourage your husband to listen to this episode. Then start a conversation about how to create a better pattern of shared responsibility. Remember, if one of you cares more about a clean shower, that person should probably be the one to clean the shower. If one is skilled at budgeting, let that person budget. And Abby’s favorite tip: create specialists!
Articles We Mentioned
A Better Way to Divide and Conquer Household Responsibilities
Pew Research Center: How married and cohabiting adults see their relationships
Printables We Think You’ll Like
Give us tips for how to have a good division of labor in our homes in the comments below.
